1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method for performing predetermined processing on a substrate.
2. Description of Related Art
A substrate processing apparatus is used to apply a variety of processing to substrates such as semiconductor substrates, substrates for use in liquid crystal displays, plasma displays, optical discs, magnetic discs, magneto-optical discs, photomasks, and other substrates.
Such a substrate processing apparatus generally subjects a single substrate to a plurality of different types of processing successively. The substrate processing apparatus as described in JP 2003-324139 A is constituted by an indexer block, an anti-reflection film processing block, a resist film processing block, a development processing block, and an interface block. An exposure device that is an external device separated from the substrate processing apparatus is arranged to be adjacent to the interface block.
In the above-mentioned substrate processing apparatus, a substrate carried in from the indexer block is subjected to anti-reflection film formation and resist film coating processing by the anti-reflection film processing block and the resist film processing block. Thereafter, the substrate is transported to the exposure device via the interface block. After the resist film on the substrate is subjected to exposure processing in the exposure device, the substrate is transported to the development processing block via the interface block. After the resist film on the substrate is subjected to development processing to form a resist pattern thereon in the development processing block, the substrate is transported to the indexer block.
With recent increases in density and integration of devices, making finer resist patterns has become an important problem. Conventional exposure devices have generally performed exposure processing by reduction-projecting a reticle pattern on a substrate through a projection lens. With such conventional exposure devices, however, the line width of an exposure pattern is determined by the wavelength of a light source of the exposure device. Therefore, making finer resist patterns has had a limitation.
Therefore, an immersion method is known as a projection exposure method allowing for even finer exposure patterns (see, e.g., WO 99/49504 pamphlet). In a projection exposure device according to the WO 99/49504 pamphlet, an area between a projection optical system and a substrate is filled with a liquid, resulting in a shorter wavelength of exposure light on a main surface of the substrate. This allows for even finer exposure patterns.